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Wednesday, August 21, 2013

Post-Disaster Fraud and Victim Abuses; What Happens When FEMA Fumbles

This is an excellent Utne Reader long-read piece here on the legalized fraud after Katrina, and probably occurring after Sandy and the multiple tornado disasters in the Midwest, too. 

The officials at ICF, one of the for-profit organizations mentioned in the article, ought to be ashamed of themselves, but I'm sure a quick thought about their bank accounts helps to assuage any pang of guilt they might suffer. Frankly, the DOJ needs to take a hard look at ICF and other contractors and subcontractors. I bet you can't swing a dead cat without hitting a fraudster, but it's unlikely they'll ever be prosecuted, or even indicted. If the crime is big enough, so is the parachute. 

Add to all that that this is Louisiana we're talking about, a state where fraud, graft, and collusion not only have homes, but have bank accounts, IRAs, and beach houses (complete with bodies in the foundations). 

When I read that FEMA had paid $229K each for those crappy little 300 square foot trailers (shipping and setup included!), I almost shat my kidneys. Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, FEMA? Are you guys drunk, stoned, or just so goddamned stupid that maybe the next time you need to buy something, you should send a teenager with a credit card, because they couldn't do any fucking worse! 

Tell me, who had his hand in somebody's pocket on that deal? I don't know what you got besides a bunch of grossly overpriced mobile homes, but I bet you had to see your proctologist and get a shot for it!


I know, I know, we'll never be free from fraud as long as humans are involved. But when the fraud occurs to those who have already suffered so much, who have lost everything, and whom the system has squatted and crapped on, it's exponentially worse. 

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